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The proposal

In late 2024 feedback was requested on a proposal to replace static diagram-based survey plans with digitally viewable and interactive survey plans.

For more information, you can read the proposal below. Consultation on the proposal closed on 31 October 2024. A summary of consultation feedback will be published in early 2025.

Our proposal is to provide a tool that lets people view a digitally visualised version of a survey plan. Surveyors would not need to provide static diagrams as part of their Cadastral Survey Datasets. 

A limited prototype has been developed for you to experience how it works and help you understand the proposal. 

Access and try the prototype.

The products

Cadastral Survey Dataset (CSD)

Contains all of the data and supporting documents the surveyor prepares and submits to Toitū Te Whenua LINZ.

Title Components

A trimmed-back version of the CSD, containing only the information needed to support the tenure systems - similar to the Title Plan product we have today. 

Title Diagram 

A static diagram that is attached to a Record of Title that shows the primary parcel/s in the title.  

Originally this was a simple drawn diagram that was included on the front page of an old Certificate of Title.  

With the introduction of Landonline, the Title Diagram is usually one of the sheets from the Title Plan that is appended to the other Record of Title information.

As we won’t have static images from the Title Plan we will be looking at options to automatically generate a Title Diagram from the data in the Cadastral Survey Dataset.

The tool

The Landonline Survey Plan viewer allows you to view the CSD or Title components.  

When viewing:

  • a CSD - you will be able to see the information currently contained in the Survey and Title plan products and switch between the 2 views
  • the Title Components - you will be able to view the information currently contained within the Title plan product. 

Workflow

Other than the surveyor not having to generate a plan, the workflow is more or less the same.  

Whenever a user would normally access a survey plan, they would access the digitally visualised survey plan instead - using the new viewer.  

Known issues 

Here is a list of key features that would need to be resolved before we'd move to digitally visualised survey plans.

  • Add the ability for a surveyor to create annotations against a node/line/parcel/survey to allow the capture of information (such as Vesting/Part 4A of the Conservation Act/Marginal Strip Width annotations) inside survey capture, and flow this information into the CSD and Survey Plan viewer tool.
  • Release a version of the tool that can work offline (for example without an internet connection at the time of viewing the survey).
  • Improve the label placement functionality so that when a non-primary parcel completely covers a primary parcel, both of their parcel labels are visible.
  • Improve the depiction of water and irregular boundaries so the location is clear and unambiguous.
  • Ensure title allocations are lining up with the correct parcel when generating a survey data report (PDF output) from the CSD package.

Unit titles, strata and cross lease surveys

We'll continue to rely on survey diagrams being produced by surveyors using drafting software for these types of surveys.

If any survey information is captured, it will be presented in the viewer and additional documentation will be included in the CSD package.

Rules changes

To give legal effect to digitally visualised survey plans we'd have to update the Cadastral Survey Rules 2021 to require surveyors to submit the equivalent digital data rather than diagrams. 

To support the transition period the Rules will have to allow for either the new method or the old method to be used.

There will be a thorough analysis of how the rules changes could be implemented and stakeholders will be consulted on the proposed changes. 

With the removal of the requirements for diagrams and the associated depiction and styling specifications from the Cadastral Survey Rules we will be looking to separately specify the styling of information presented in the viewer. 

Transition arrangements

We believe there would be a transition period (for example 6 months) where surveyors could choose to prepare a survey under the Cadastral Survey Rules 2021 with a static drafted plan, or under a future set of Cadastral Survey Rules that wouldn’t require the surveyor to do any drafting.  

We are interested to hear your thoughts on whether this transition approach would have challenges or would be helpful. 

Your feedback

Feedback on the proposal closed on 31 October 2024.

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